The present invention relates to the treatment of aqueous systems.
The majority of natural waters, and aqueous systems in general, contain dissolved salts of metals such as calcium, magnesium, barium and strontium. When the water or aqueous system is subjected to heating, the dissolved salts may be converted to insoluble salts and deposited as scale on heat transfer surfaces in contact with the water or aqueous system. If the water or aqueous system is concentrated even without heating, insoluble salts may also be precipitated.
Salt precipitation and scale deposition are troublesome and can cause increased costs in maintaining aqueous systems in good working order. Among the problems caused by scale deposits are obstruction of fluid flow, impedance of heat transfer, wear of metal parts, shortening of equipment life, localised corrosion attack, poor corrosion inhibitor performance, and unscheduled equipment shutdown. These problems can arise in water or oil wells, water pipes, steam power plants, water desalination plants, reverse osmosis equipment utilising aqueous solutions, heat exchange equipment, and equipment concerned with the transport of products and by-products in aqueous media (e.g. fly ash formed during the combustion of coal in the production of electricity). The range of temperature over which these processes operate is wide, for example ambient temperatures are used for cooling water and elevated temperatures are used for steam power plants.